Moving can be a stressful and difficult time for children as well as adults. When children are forced from their familiar surroundings they experience a vast array of emotions. Children can feel scared, angry, anxiety and grief when they learn they are moving. It is important to ease the transition into a new home, below are some helpful hints that parents can use is important for children, some tips for parents include:
• Try to involve children in the moving decisions as much as possible. Involving children in the selection of the actual house, what room they will choose as their own and other decisions gives children a sense of empowerment over the situation.
• If you are moving across town, take your children to visit the new home and explore the new neighborhood.
• Also visit new schools to see if orientation programs are available for newcomers.
• If you are moving to a new town or state, do as much research as possible about the area together.
• After you have moved into the new house, attempt to get your children’s rooms together first before other rooms of the house so they have a comfort zone to go to with their familiar items.
• When moving, there's a certain amount of disruption to regular schedules that you simply can't avoid. But once you've moved in, try to get back to your normal family routines as quickly as possible. This will help younger children, in particular, who need routines and more consistency. Having the same nap times, morning and bedtime routines, and meal times might be comforting.
It is important to be realistic on how you expect your children to transition and adapt to the new home and neighborhood. It may take several weeks for a child to adapt and feel comfortable in their new surroundings. Every child is different so remember to be supportive and focus on the positive things that the new home offers, for instance closer to a park or more kids to play with in the neighborhood.
Moving can be a stressful and difficult time for children as well as adults. When children are forced from their familiar surroundings they experience a vast array of emotions. Children can feel scared, angry, anxiety and grief when they learn they are moving. It is important to ease the transition into a new home, below are some helpful hints that parents can use is important for children, some tips for parents include:
• Try to involve children in the moving decisions as much as possible. Involving children in the selection of the actual house, what room they will choose as their own and other decisions gives children a sense of empowerment over the situation.
• If you are moving across town, take your children to visit the new home and explore the new neighborhood.
• Also visit new schools to see if orientation programs are available for newcomers.
• If you are moving to a new town or state, do as much research as possible about the area together.
• After you have moved into the new house, attempt to get your children’s rooms together first before other rooms of the house so they have a comfort zone to go to with their familiar items.
• When moving, there's a certain amount of disruption to regular schedules that you simply can't avoid. But once you've moved in, try to get back to your normal family routines as quickly as possible. This will help younger children, in particular, who need routines and more consistency. Having the same nap times, morning and bedtime routines, and meal times might be comforting.
It is important to be realistic on how you expect your children to transition and adapt to the new home and neighborhood. It may take several weeks for a child to adapt and feel comfortable in their new surroundings. Every child is different so remember to be supportive and focus on the positive things that the new home offers, for instance closer to a park or more kids to play with in the neighborhood.
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